Costco: The Only Company Wal-Mart Fears (1 Viewer)

[Malcolm R]

An untrue stereotype. Perhaps this was the way they did business when they started out in the 1980's, but not today.

 

[Sarah S]

Milk is another great deal at my local Costco. It's starting to hit $4 a galleon for 2% at my local Safeway...while I can go to Costco, buy two galleons for $3.89. A case of name-brand soda is about the same, though if I choose off-brand I get an even deeper discount. Yes, some things are packaged with the small business in mind, but only having to buy laundry detergent only once every two years is enough to keep me going there.

I also dislike Wal*Mart and Sam's Club for their extreme anti-union stance. Reports that employees are *required* to work off the clock and hiring janitorial agencies that openly empoy illeagel immigrants don't really endear me to them either. Luckily, they aren't the only store in town, but you would have to pay me a hefty fee for me to shop there voluntarily.

 

[Philip_G]

OT:
remember when costco didn't have bar code reader? but instead had two people at the checkout, one to read off the code and another to 10-key it in?

 

[kamyiu]

employee-wise, costco is the same way. i worked there for 13.5 years. i quit last year, decided to go back to school. i always found it amusing when a dilemma would arise and management would come ask me what the policy was regarding that dilemma. it actually used to be a good place to work, now it just sucks. signing up for classes and dropping to part-time was the best move i ever made there, well...besides quitting, of course. but that goes without saying.

 

[kamyiu]

scanners was an awful move, really slowed the lines down and it didn't really improve accuracy or cut down on shrink.

 

[Al.Anderson]

I'm not overly thrilled with Costco. Their prices are hit and miss - often I can get better proces at any retaler (Target, BB, etc) and that's not just for sale items. Plus I had one really bad experience with a manager there. I was complaining about something (I'm not a complainer, I proably have gone to a manager about once every two years) and his response was if I didn't like it I could cancel my membership.

They do have great prices and good quality at their food counter though ...

 

[JayV]

Al, I assume you mean the KoP Costco? That's a shame about your experience there. I didn't have any problems there, but I've been going to the Montgomeryville Costco for the last two years.

FWIW, I've been a member at various times at Costco, Sam's Club and BJ's. Costco is the only one I like. Their food is great and overall I think their variety, quality and prices are better than the other two warehouse club stores.

-j

 

[Darren Haycock]

My only beef w/ Costco is that they don't accept Visa or Mastercard, just American Express, Cash, or check, a pretty big inconvenience for me...

 

[Carlo_M]

I've let my Costco membership lapse the last few years. When it was just me and my girlfriend we just didn't go to it enough and being in L.A. there are 100 Ralphs, Albertsons, Targets, Whole Foods, etc. within a 5 mile radius.

Of course now we're living with her brother and his girlfriend, and we are doing combined shopping trips. Perhaps it is time to renew.

Gotta love a company who isn't all about bottom line. I know, they still are in business to make money, and that's fine by me. But they aren't as cutthroat about it as Wal-Mart/Sam's Club and I appreciate that.

Time to show my appreciation with some $$$.

 

[JustinCleveland]

they don't accept Visa or Mastercard,

TOTALLY. I was there buying the Fox Studio Classics boxes, and I happened to have my checkbook, which I NEVER carry, otherwise I would have been up a creek.

 

[LDfan]

They don't accept credit cards because of the sur-charge Visa and Mastercard hit them with. Amex must have struck a deal with them where they don't charge any % of the sale or such.
Sam's was the same way except the only card they accepted was Discover.

Jeff

 

[MikeAlletto]

They don't accept credit cards because of the sur-charge Visa and Mastercard hit them with. Amex must have struck a deal with them where they don't charge any % of the sale or such.

So? All the credit card companies charge other stores also yet they give their customers the choice of payment. That reminds me of another reason I never went to sams either. Costco.com allows visa and mastercard, so why not the stores?

As far as prices go I couldn't even tell you what the price of milk or case of coke costs at the grocery store. I never look because I don't need to worry about it. For the $45 it costs for a costco membership I would have to buy about 45 dvd's in a year to offset the cost. I looked at some prices and they run about $1 or 1.50 less than best buy. Yeah sure, sometimes they have the uber-deals, but you have to be looking for those and they aren't that often. As far as gas goes, there are gas stations on just about every corner. Is it really worth it to drive to one location 15 miles from my house for gas when I can just go down the street to the local station to fill up to save a few bucks?

I understand saving money and all but its got to really be worth a savings in order for it to be worth my time. A few bucks here and there is not worth the price of admission to me.

I understand if Costco is really the only thing going for you in your area, but there are so many other options that are way more convenient and easier to get to than Costco where I'm at.

 

[Malcolm R]

I believe they accept debit cards. So if you have a check card with a Visa/MC logo, you would just have to use it as a debit card instead of credit card.

As Jeff says, I'm sure they've negotiated favorable terms with AmEx, who likely only offered them favorable terms if they were the exclusive card accepted by the store. Sam's likely has the same arrangement with Discover (as did Costco a few years ago, but AmEx must have offered them a better deal).

They probably accept all cards on their website because the sales volume is much lower and it's impractical to make on-line purchases using cash or check.

 

[TedE]

I used to belong to a CostCo, but stopped going when my membership ran out. I typically only buy food for myself and like to cook for myself, so I don't need to buy tons at a time and I prefer to buy fresh. I've toyed with the idea of getting together with a bunch of my friends and doing it though. An occasional DVD or book purchase would certainly offset the $10 or $15 I spent to split a membership.

One thing that CostCo actually does have great deals on is alcohol. Prices for beer by the case is about as good as it comes, but their selection isn't all that great. They have surprised me with some good micros before though.

The best thing really is the wine they carry. I'm serious. CostCo must have some great people in charge of their wine purchasing. You can find outstanding stuff for ridiculous prices. Each year they are able to get a few pallets of some honest-to-goodness first growth Bordeaux's. I personally can't fathom spending that much money on a bottle of wine, but I know that some people have the regional managers on speed dial. When the wines are released, they will find out what stores will have them (usually only a handful of cases) and be in line first things in the morning. Sometimes driving hours out of their way! And we're talking stuff that is $80-$120 a bottle. But I guess if you are saving $20-30/bottle and you are buying a case at a time, it's a great "deal"!!

 

[Shane Bos]

My current Costco card also gives me a 2% discount. My membership each year is free then plus I get money back. Now they pay me to shop there. Plus I love their return policy no hassles.

I do find it hard to believe that their CEO caps's his salary at just over $300,000 as their store managers make ~$100,000/year. At least the Manager here in Red Deer does. I used to work for a vendor within Costco however their policies and the way they treated their employee's got to the point that I couldn't stand it anymore and left.

 

[Jed M]

I go to Costco to get all my meat. Its high quality stuff, especially since I came from the midwest and am used to corn fed beef. I used to be a Sam's Club member until Costco moved out here. IMO its not even close. To me, Costco sells quality stuff for cheap, while Sam's Club sells crap for cheap.

Are there not many here in the Midwest?

They have a handful in KC. I've been in two of them. Not sure about out in Western Kansas. You guys have a heck of a game this week. Good Luck.

 

[CaseyLS]

Manhattan is f'in western kansas.


Sorry had to put up with that for an entire year from my roommate.

 

[JasonS]

Are there not many here in the Midwest?

There are 2 that opened up in Overland Park within the last year or two. Let me know if you are familiar at all with the area and I can let you know where they are if interested.

 

[MikeAlletto]

One thing that CostCo actually does have great deals on is alcohol. Prices for beer by the case is about as good as it comes, but their selection isn't all that great. They have surprised me with some good micros before though.

Can't you get in to purchase alcohol without paying for a membership? I believe there is something about you can't charge people money to be able to buy alcohol or something like that. I recall reading how you could buy beer from sams without needing to pay for a membership.

 

[TedE]

Can't you get in to purchase alcohol without paying for a membership?

I really don't know. I DO know that this varies by state. In Delaware CostCo had to have a separate little "store" at the entrance, before you had to show your card to get in to the main floor. Anybody could shop there for beer/wine/liquor. This was due to the DE liquor laws. The one I've been to in Virginia has the beer and wine in the store (but not liquor; have to go to an ABC store for that). I don't know if you can walk into a VA CostCo and buy beer/wine without being a member.